Mammary artery derived cells and methods of use in tissue repair and regeneration

ABSTRACT

An isolated mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell is disclosed. Furthermore, methods of isolating the mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell are disclosed. The cell is useful in tissue engineering technologies, specifically in vascular tissue engineering.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional filing of a provisionalapplication U.S. Pat. App. No. 61/247,228.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to mammalian mammary artery-derivedcells isolated from mammalian internal mammary arteries. The inventionfurther relates to methods for the isolation of the mammalian internalmammary artery-derived cells. Combining the isolated internal mammaryartery-derived cells with a scaffold provides methods for use in atissue-engineered device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The internal mammary artery, also known as the internal thoracic artery,perfuses the anterior chest wall and mammary glands. The internalmammary artery has a superior, long-term patency compared to saphenousvein grafts, and is regarded as the primary vessel of choice forcornonary artery bypass grafting. Compared to coronary and carotidarteries, the mammary artery is highly resistant to arthrosclerosis.This long-term resistance of the internal mammary artery to graftatherosclerosis, compared with the saphenous vein has been attributed,at least in part, to its superior endothelial cell function. Inaddition, the response of the internal mammary artery to mechanicalinjury is also different from that of coronary arteries. Human coronaryarteries respond to balloon angioplasty by promoting cell migration andproliferation, leading to the formation of neointima and restenosis inapproximately 40% of cases. However, unlike coronary arteries andsaphenous vein graft, restenosis was not found in internal mammaryartery grafts after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Therefore,the internal mammary artery could be a valuable tissue source forvascular progenitor cells.

It has been well documented that ectopic tissue, composed of cartilage,bone, and fat, is able to form within the wall of arteries. Thisphenomenon is termed metaplasia and suggests that multipotentialprogenitor cells may reside within the arterial wall. Osteogenic andchondrogenic differentiation within the artery wall is recognizedclinically as vascular calcification and this type of mineralization isassociated with increased cardiovascular injury. Vascular calcificationis known to increase aortic stiffness, resulting in systolichypertension, coronary insufficiency, left ventricular hypertrophy,ischemia, and congestive heart failure. In fact, approximately 85% ofplaques causing coronary thrombosis are calcified. It has been suggestedthat progenitor cells within the artery wall might play a role in plaqueformation, calcification and arthrosclerosis. Therefore understandinghow these cells contribute to vascular pathology, as well as repairmight lead to improved therapies for cardiovascular indications.

Many laboratories are currently focused on understanding the role ofstem cells in vascular physiology. It has been shown that adult organscontain stem cells that are involved in organ maintenance and repairafter injury. Therefore, it is feasible that adult progenitor cells canbe isolated from many, if not all types of organ tissue. Thesetissue-specific progenitor cells could then be exploited fortissue-specific therapeutic purposes.

Zingin et al., recently demonstrated the existence of a ‘vasculogeniczone’ in the adult human vascular wall. In this study, putativeprogenitor cells were isolated from human internal thoracic arteries. Toharvest the cells, arteries were minced and digested with trypsin/EDTAat 37° C. for 5 minutes. Non-digested tissues were removed byfiltration. The suspension was centrifuged and the resulting cell pelletwas resuspended into endothelial growth culture medium and plated ontocollagen or fibronectin-coated dishes. These cells demonstrated theexpression of CD34. Progenitor cells, expressing KDR/Flk1 and CD45 werealso shown to be present within the vascular wall of the internalmammary artery. These data suggest that there is a pool of progenitorcells within the wall of the internal mammary artery.

The identification and isolation of a vascular wall progenitor cell thatis manufacturable and resistant to atherosclerosis might prove to bebeneficial for cell therapy and tissue engineering applications. In anattempt to harness the internal mammary artery's unique anti-atherogenicand mechanical attributes, we have isolated and characterized uniqueprogenitor cells from human internal mammary arteries and evaluatedtheir utility in tissue engineering applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We disclose mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells isolatedfrom mammalian internal mammary arteries. Methods for the isolation ofthe mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells are also provided.Mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells were characterized forcell morphology, growth potential, surface marker phenotype, secretedproteins, gene expression, multipotential differentiation and in vivopro-angiogenic activity. These cells have utility for both cell andtissue engineering applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1: Morphology. iMACs (internal mammary artery-derived cells) werecultured on collagen coated tissue culture flasks and phase-contrastimages were obtained at passage 2 (A), passage 7 (B) and passage 23 (C).Cells show a homogeneous, fibroblastic morphology.

FIG. 2: Growth kinetics. iMACs were cultured on collagen-coated flasksfor 81 days. Cells were harvested and counted every 3-5 days andpopulation doubling was determined. Cultures were able to achieve atleast 41.9 population doublings.

FIG. 3: Capillary formation. iMACs and human internal mammary arteryendothelial cells (ECs) were cultured separately on Matrigel coatedplates and capillary formation was observed. Cells were cultured inthree different types of medium including, iMAC Growth Medium,endothelial growth medium-2 (EGM-2) or smooth muscle celldifferentiation medium (SMC medium). Dense capillary formation wasobserved in cultures of iMACs grown in iMAC Growth Medium or EGM-2.Images were obtained at 100× magnification.

FIG. 4: Adipogenesis. iMACs were cultured in adipogenesis inductionmedium for 15 days. Cultures were fixed and stained with Oil Red-O ondays 5, 10, and 15-post induction. Lipid droplets within the cells stainred. Image of day 5 culture shown in lower left panel was obtained at400× magnification. All other images were obtained at 200×magnification.

FIG. 5: Cellular infiltration/capillary density. Data bars represent themean percentage of area comprised of cells/capillaries per total areaevaluated. N=5 or 6. Error bars represent standard error of the mean(SEM).

FIG. 6: Growth kinetics. Cells were isolated from an internal mammaryartery that was exposed to digestion enzymes for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150minutes. The cells derived from each of these time points were thencultured on tissue culture plates until cells reached senescence.Senescence was determined when the cells failed to achieve onepopulation doubling during the growth interval. Cumulative populationdoublings (PD) was determined.

FIG. 7: Endothelial cell differentiation: iMACs up-regulate endothelialcell markers after treatment with endothelial differentiation medium.Expression (%) refers to the percentage of cells within the iMAC cellculture population that express the tested marker. Percentage of cellsexpressing the tested marker after growth in standard iMAC cell culturemedium (white bars). Percentage of cells expressing the tested markerafter growth in differentiation medium (black bars).

FIG. 8: Smooth muscle cell differentiation: Smooth muscle cell markersremain expressed before and after treatment with smooth muscle celldifferentiation medium. Expression (%) refers to the percentage of cellswithin the iMAC culture population that express the tested marker.Percentage of cells expressing the tested marker after growth instandard iMAC cell culture medium (white bars). Percentage of cellsexpressing the tested marker after growth in differentiation medium(black bars).

FIG. 9: Cardiomyocyte differentiation: The cardiomyocyte markers wasupregulated after culturing iMACs in cardiomyocyte differentiationmedium. Expression (%) refers to the percentage of cells within the iMACculture population that express the tested marker. Percentage of cellsexpressing the tested marker after growth in standard iMAC cell culturemedium (white bars). Percentage of cells expressing the tested markerafter growth in differentiation medium (black bars).

FIG. 10: Histology of iMAC-seeded tubular scaffolds. Tubular scaffoldswere seeded both on the inner and outer surface with iMAC cells andcultured in a bioreactor chamber for 10 days. At this time, thescaffolds were fixed with formalin and stained with hematoxylin andeosin.

FIG. 11: Live/Dead staining of electrostatically spun PCL scaffoldsseeded with iMAC cells. Electrostatically spun tubular PCL scaffoldswere seeded with iMAC cells and cultured in a bioreactor chamber for 3days. The cells were mock-shipped by incubating at room temperature for3 hours, then returned to a standard cell culture incubator. Atindicated times, pieces of the scaffold were cut off and stained withLive/Dead stain.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particularmethods, reagents, compounds, compositions or biological systems, whichcan, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminologyused herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodimentsonly, and is not intended to be limiting. As used in this specificationand the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” includeplural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which the invention pertains. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used inthe practice for testing of the present invention, the preferredmaterials and methods are described herein. In describing and claimingthe present invention, the following terminology will be used.

“Cells of the invention” refer to a mammalian internal mammaryartery-derived cell. “Differentiation” is the process by which anunspecialized (“uncommitted”) or less specialized cell acquires thefeatures of a specialized cell, such as a vascular cell, for example. A“differentiated or differentiation-induced cell” is one that has takenon a more specialized (“committed”) position within the lineage of acell. The term “committed,” when applied to the process ofdifferentiation, refers to a cell that has proceeded in thedifferentiation pathway to a point where, under normal circumstances, itwill continue to differentiate into a specific cell type or subset ofcell types, and cannot, under normal circumstances, differentiate into adifferent cell type or revert to a less differentiated cell type. A“lineage-specific marker” refers to a characteristic specificallyassociated with the phenotype of cells of a lineage of interest and canbe used to assess the differentiation of an uncommitted cell to thelineage of interest.

“Internal mammary artery-derived cells” as used herein are cellsisolated from a mammalian internal mammary artery. Internal mammaryartery-derived cells can give rise to cells, such as adipocytes, or cangive rise to one or more types of tissue, for example, vascular tissue,in addition to producing daughter cells of equivalent potential. Thesecells are “isolated” from the internal mammary artery, which refers tothe separation of the cells from the surrounding tissue by enzymaticdigestion. “Digested material” refers to the cells and tissue that areisolated from the mammalian internal mammary artery after being treatedwith an enzyme solution. This digested material is either discarded ordirectly plated onto tissue culture vessels. Cells that are containedwithin the “digested material” can attach to the tissue culture vesseland can be propagate in culture.

A “conditioned medium” is a medium in which a specific cell orpopulation of cells has been cultured, and then removed. While the cellsare cultured in the medium, they secrete cellular factors that canprovide trophic support to other cells. Such cellular factors include,but are not limited to hormones, cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM),proteins, antibodies, and granules. The medium containing the cellularfactors is the conditioned medium.

Generally, a “trophic factor” is defined as a substance that promotessurvival, growth, proliferation, maturation, differentiation, and/ormaintenance of a cell, or stimulates increased activity of a cell.“Trophic support” is used herein to refer to the ability to promotesurvival, growth, proliferation, maturation, differentiation, and/ormaintenance of a cell, or to stimulate increased activity of a cell. Themammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell of the invention producestrophic factors, including but not limited to, growth factors,cytokines, and differentiation factors. “Gene expression” refers totranscription of a gene into an RNA product, and optionally totranslation into one or more polypeptide sequences.

In one embodiment, an isolated mammalian internal mammary artery-derivedcell is provided. The cell is capable of self-renewal and expansion inculture wherein the cell is positive for the expression of each one ofcell-surface markers CD29, CD44, CD73, CD166 and HLA-1, and negative foreach one of cell-surface markers CD10, CD15, CD23, CD24, CD31, CD34,CD45, CD62p, CD80, CD86, CD104, CD105, CD117, CD133, CD138, CD141,CD146, VE-Cadherin, KDR/Flk-1 and HLA-2.

In another embodiment, the mammalian internal mammary artery-derivedcell is positive for the expression of cell-surface marker HLA-1 andnegative for expression of each one of cell-surface markers CD10, CD31,CD34, CD45, CD133, CD141 and KDR/Flk-1.

In yet another embodiment, the mammalian internal mammary artery-derivedcell is additionally positive for expression of CD29, CD44, CD73, CD166,and additionally negative for CD15, CD23, CD24, CD62p, CD80, CD86,CD104, CD105, CD117, CD138, CD146, VE-Cadherin, and HLA-2.

In another embodiment, the mammalian internal mammary artery-derivedcell may secrete the trophic factors β2 microglobulin, creatinekinase-MB, ENA-78, endothelin-1, eotaxin, fatty acid binding protein,ferritin, basic FGF, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, insulin, MCP-1,PAI-1, stem cell factor, TIMP-1, VCAM-1 and VEGF. The cell does notsecrete Von Willebrand Factor or PDGF-bb.

In yet another embodiment, an isolated mammalian internal mammaryartery-derived cell is provided, said cell capable of self-renewal andexpansion in culture, wherein the cell is positive for gene expressionof CD13, chemokine ligand 2, Ephrin A2, Ephrin A3, Endoglin, EndothelialPAS domain protein 1, Fibroblast growth factor-2, Fibroblast growthfactor receptor-3, Hypoxia-inducible factor-1, Matrixmetalenoprotinase-2, Neuropilin-1, Placental growth factor, Urokinase,Thrombospondin-2, TIMP inhibitor-1, TIMP inhibitor-3, TNF-12a, TroponinT type-1, VEGF-B and VEGF-C, tripartite motif-containing 33 (TRIM33),SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 11 (SOX-11), Notch homolog 2(Drosophila) (NOTCH-2), cysteine rich transmembrane BMP regulator 1(CRIM-1), homeobox D9 (HOXD9) and POU class 3 homeobox 3 (POU3F3).

In one embodiment, we provide a method for isolating a mammalianinternal mammary artery-derived cell. This method comprises obtaininginternal mammary artery tissue, digesting the artery sequentially in twosteps to obtain digested material, isolating the cells from the digestedmaterial, and culturing the cells in growth media to provide theinternal mammary artery-derived cells. The first digestion stepcomprises incubating the tissue in the presence of a metalloprotease, aneutral protease, and/or a mucolytic enzyme for a sufficient amount oftime to partially digest the artery thereby removing the external debrisand intimal layer of the artery. Suitable enzymes include, but are notlimited to collagenase, dispase and hyaluronidase and combinationsthereof. In one embodiment, the artery is digested in collagenase anddispase. In one embodiment, the artery is incubated in the enzymemixture in the first digestion step for about 60 minutes. The partiallydigested artery is then removed from the enzyme mixture and in a seconddigestion step placed into a fresh enzyme mixture for a sufficientamount of time to obtain the digested material containing the internalmammary artery-derived cells. In one embodiment, the artery is incubatedin the enzyme mixture in the second digestion step for about 30 minutesto about 60 minutes. In another embodiment, the artery is incubated inthe enzyme mixture in the second digestion step for about 60 minutes.The cells isolated from the digested material are then plated onto acollagen coated tissue culture vessel and cultured under standardconditions in growth medium. After a brief culture period, the cell ischaracterized for morphology, surface marker expression, geneexpression, trophic factor secretion and multipotential differentiation.

In another embodiment, we provide a method of diagnostic and prognosticevaluation as well as for drug discovery for cardiovascular diseasewhich uses mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells tocharacterize cellular responses to biologic or pharmacologic agentsinvolving isolating mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells froma statistically significant population of individuals, culture expandingthe mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells from thestatistically significant population of individuals to establish aplurality of cell cultures of mammalian internal mammary artery-derivedcells, contacting the mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cellcultures with one or more biologic or pharmacologic agents, identifyingone or more cellular responses to the one or more biologic orpharmacologic agents, and comparing the one or more cellular responsesof the mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell cultures fromindividuals in the statistically significant population. The mammalianinternal mammary artery-derived cell of the invention can be used invitro to screen a wide variety of compounds for effectiveness andcytotoxicity of pharmaceutical agents, growth/regulatory factors, andanti-inflammatory agents. To this end, the cells of the invention, ortissue cultures described above, are maintained in vitro and exposed tothe compound to be tested. The activity of a cytotoxic compound can bemeasured by its ability to damage or kill cells in culture. This canreadily be assessed by vital staining techniques. The effect ofgrowth/regulatory factors can be assessed by analyzing the number ofliving cells in vitro, e.g., by total cell counts and differential cellcounts. This can be accomplished using standard cytological and/orhistological techniques, including the use of immunocytochemicaltechniques employing antibodies that define type-specific cellularantigens.

The cells and tissues of the invention can be used as model systems forthe study of physiological or pathological conditions. The cells andtissues of the invention can also be used to study the mechanism ofaction of cytokines, growth factors, e.g., inflammatory mediators, e.g.,IL-1, TNF and prostaglandins. In addition, cytotoxic and/orpharmaceutical agents can be screened for those that are mostefficacious for a particular patient, such as those that reverse, reduceor prevent arthrosclerosis and other cardiovascular pathologies. Agentsthat prove to be efficacious in vitro could then be used to treat thepatient therapeutically.

In another embodiment, iMACs can be administered in conjunction with anacceptable matrix, e.g., a pharmaceutically acceptable matrix. Thematrix can be biodegradable. The matrix can also provide additionalgenetic material, cytokines, growth factors, or other factors to promotegrowth and differentiation of the cells. The cells can also beencapsulated prior to administration. The encapsulated cells can becontained within a polymer capsule. The polymers used to prepare carrierdevices, scaffolds, or matrices described herein are biodegradable andbiocompatible. The biodegradable polymers readily break down into smallsegments when exposed to moist body tissue. The segments then either areabsorbed by the body, or passed by the body. More particularly, thebiodegraded segments do not elicit permanent chronic foreign bodyreaction, because they are absorbed by the body or passed from the body,such that no permanent trace or residual of the segment is retained bythe body. The expanded cell preparations of the invention comprisingincreased numbers of mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells canbe used to construct tissue-engineered devices such as a bioartificialblood vessel or other cardiovascular device. The cells can be combinedwith, or seeded onto scaffolds composed of natural of syntheticpolymers. These devices can then be implanted into a diseased or injuredanimal or human patient. The mammalian internal mammary artery derivedcells can also be utilized within a device for the promotion ofneovascularization, cell survival and tissue repair. An importantchallenge in the field of tissue engineering/organ reconstruction is howto adequately vascularize the therapeutic device. For any construct tobe of value it must be generated in such a way that it contains amicrovascular component. These capillaries would ensure that theconstruct has an adequate supply of nutrients, proper gas exchange andwaste removal. iMACs have pro-angiogenic activity any may have value fortissue engineering applications.

Another application of gene therapy permits the use of a drug in a highconcentration, which is normally considered to be dangerous, byproviding drug resistance to normal mammalian internal mammaryartery-derived cells by transferring a drug resistant gene into thecells. In particular, it is possible to carry out the treatment using ananticancer drug in high concentration by transferring a gene having drugresistance against the anticancer drug, e.g., transferring a multipledrug resistant gene into an expanded cell preparation comprisingmammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells. A deficient protein canalso be induced and expressed by transferring a gene encoding a targetprotein into the mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell underthe control of a suitable promoter. The expression of the protein can becontrolled to obtain the same activity as that obtained by the naturalexpression in vivo. It is also possible to insert a gene encoding aribozyme, an antisense nucleic acid or the like or another suitable geneinto the mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell to controlexpression of a specific gene product in the cells or to inhibitsusceptibility to diseases. For example, the mammalian internal mammaryartery-derived cell can be subjected to gene modification to express anantisense nucleic acid or a ribozyme, which can prevent growth ofpathogens in the target organ including, but not limited to, HIV,HTLV-I, and HTLV-II.

The invention features a method for identifying agents, which influencethe proliferation, differentiation, or survival of cells that have thepotential to form mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cells.Examples of such agents are small molecules, antibodies, andextracellular proteins. Identified agents can be profiled and assessedfor safety and efficacy in animals. In another aspect, the inventioncontemplates methods for influencing the proliferation, differentiation,or survival of cells that have the potential to form a mammalianinternal mammary artery-derived cell by contacting the cells with anagent or agents identified by the foregoing method. The identifiedagents can be formulated as a pharmaceutical preparation.

It is preferred that the differentiated cells be derived from thepatient that is being treated so as to avoid immune rejection. However,where autologous cells are not available, it can be useful toencapsulate the differentiated cells in a capsule that is permeable tonutrients and oxygen required by the cell and therapeutic factors thecell is secreting, yet impermeable to immune humoral factors and cells.Preferably the encapsulant is hypoallergenic, is easily and stablysituated in a target tissue, and provides added protection to theimplanted structure.

Protection from immune rejection can also be provided by geneticmodification of the differentiated cells, according to any method knownin the art. Autoantibody and CTL resistant cells can be produced usingmethods such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,286,632, 5,320,962,5,342,761; and in WO1990/11354, WO1992/03917, WO1993/04169, andWO1995/17911. Alternatively, selection of resistant trans-differentiatedcells is accomplished by culturing these cells in the presence ofautoantibody or IDD associated CTLs or CTLs activated with IDD specificautoantigens. As a result of these techniques, cells having increasedresistance to destruction by antibody or T-lymphocyte dependentmechanisms are generated.

Such cells can be implanted into an appropriate host in an appropriatetissue as disclosed herein and have increased resistance to destructionby autoimmune processes.

Likewise, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) profile of thedifferentiated cell can be modified, optionally by an iterative process,in which the differentiated cell is exposed to normal, allogeneiclymphocytes, and surviving cells selected. Alternatively, a sitedirected mutagenesis approach is used to eliminate the HLA markers fromthe surface of the differentiated cells, and modified differentiatedcells thereby generated are implanted into a recipient mammal in need ofsuch implantation.

A mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell of the invention can becryopreserved and maintained or stored in a “cell bank”.Cryopreservation of cells of the invention can be carried out accordingto known methods. For example, but not by way of limitation, cells canbe suspended in a “freeze medium” such as, culture medium furthercomprising 0 to 95 percent FBS and 0 to 10 percent dimethylsulfoxide(DMSO), a cryoprotectant, with or without 5 to 10 percent glycerol, at adensity, for example, of about 0.5 to 10×10⁶ cells per milliliter.Alternatively, other cryoprotectants may be used such as, carbohydratesincluding, but not limited to glucose, sucrose, maltose, and trehalose.The cells are dispensed into glass or plastic ampoules or other vesselsthat are then sealed and transferred to the freezing chamber of acontrolled rate freezer. The optimal rate of freezing can be determinedempirically. A programmable rate freezer for example, can give a changein temperature of −1 to −10° C. per minute through the heat of fusioncan be used. Once the ampoules have reached −180° C., they aretransferred to a liquid nitrogen storage area. Cryopreserved cells canbe stored for a period of years, though they should be checked at leastevery 5 years for maintenance of viability. The cryopreserved cells ofthe invention constitute a bank of cells, portions of which can be“withdrawn” by thawing and then used as needed. Thawing should generallybe carried out rapidly, for example, by transferring an ampoule fromliquid nitrogen to a 37° C. water bath. The thawed contents of theampoule should be immediately transferred under sterile conditions to aculture vessel containing an appropriate medium such as DMEM conditionedwith 10 percent FBS. Alternatively, a whole internal mammary artery oran internal mammary artery cut into segments or minced into pieces maybe cryopreserved in a similar fashion. The mammalian internal mammaryartery-derived cells may then be isolated from the thawed whole artery,artery segment(s) or minced artery pieces.

In a further embodiment, the mammalian internal mammary artery-derivedcells of the invention can be cultured in vitro to produce conditionedmedia or cell lysate in high yield. For example, such cells, whicheither naturally produce a particular biological product of interest(e.g., a growth factor, regulatory factor, or peptide hormone), or havebeen genetically engineered to produce a biological product, could beclonally expanded using, for example, a three-dimensional cell culturesystem. If the cells excrete the biological product into the nutrientmedium, the product can be readily isolated from the spent orconditioned medium using standard separation techniques, e.g., such asdifferential protein precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, gelfiltration chromatography, electrophoresis, and HPLC, to name but a few.A “bioreactor” can be used to take advantage of the flow method forfeeding, for example, a three-dimensional culture in vitro. Essentially,as fresh media is passed through the three-dimensional culture, thebiological product is washed out of the culture and can then be isolatedfrom the outflow, as above. Alternatively, a biological product ofinterest can remain within the cell and, thus, its collection canrequire that the cells be lysed. The biological product can then bepurified using any one or more of the above-listed techniques.

Example 1 Cell Isolation Optimization

Initial experiments were conducted to determine the optimal timenecessary for tissue digestion. A five centimeter portion of the humaninternal mammary artery was obtained from the National Disease ResearchInterchange (NDRI, Philadelphia, Pa.). The artery was trimmed and washedin Dulbecco's modified Eagles medium (DMEM-low glucose; Invitrogen,Carlsbad, Calif.) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS; Invitrogen) toremove blood and debris. The entire artery was then transferred to a50-milliliter conical tube.

The tissue was then digested, for varying amounts of time in an enzymemixture containing 0.25 Units/milliliter collagenase (ServaElectrophoresis, Heidelberg, Germany) and 2.5 Units/milliliter dispase(Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Indianapolis Ind.). The enzyme mixturewas then combined with endothelial growth medium-2 (EGM-2) (Lonza,Walkersville, Md.). The conical tube containing the tissue, EGM-2 anddigestion enzymes was incubated at 37° C. in an orbital shaker at 225rpm for increasing amounts of time (30, 60, 90, 120, 150 minutes). Atthe end of each time interval, cells were isolated from the resultingdigested material. The partially digested artery was then transferred toa 50 mL conical tube containing a mixture of fresh enzymes and EGM-2 andfurther digested at 37° C. for the remaining time intervals. At the endof each time interval, the resulting digest was centrifuged at 150×g for5 minutes, the supernatant was aspirated. The pellet was resuspended in20 milliliters of EGM-2. The cell suspension was then filtered through a70-micron nylon BD FALCON Cell strainer (BD Biosciences, San Jose,Calif.). The filtrate was then resuspended in EGM-2 (total volume 50milliliters) and centrifuged at 150×g for 5 minutes. The supernatant wasaspirated and the cells were resuspended in another 15 milliliters offresh EGM-2 and plated into a tissue culture flask that was coated with50 ug/cm² rat-tail type I collagen (Inamed, Freemont, Calif.). The cellswere then cultured at 37° C. and 5% CO₂. Growth potential was thenevaluated. Cells isolated were plated at 5000 cells/cm² onto type I rattail collagen coated T75 flasks in EGM-2 and cultured at 37° C. in 5%carbon dioxide. Cells were passaged every 3-5 days. At each passage,cells were harvested with TypleLE (Invitrogen), counted and viabilitywas measured using a Guava instrument (Guava Technologies, Hayward,Calif.). Population doublings [ln(final cell yield/initial number ofcells plated)/ln2] were then calculated.

Data showed that the cells could be isolated from the internal mammaryartery by sequentially digesting the artery. The cells obtained from the30 or 60-minute time interval grew poorly (FIG. 6). Cells isolated fromthe 90-minute time interval were shown to have maximal growth potential.We determined therefore that the artery must initially be digested forabout sixty minutes to remove external debris and the intimal layer ofthe artery. After the initial 60 minute digestion, the artery must thenbe transferred to a fresh enzyme mixture and further digested for anadditional 30-60 minutes to obtain the cells that had maximum growthpotential. This sequential digestion method allows for the isolation ofa cell that is located within the adventitial/medial layer of the arterywhile excluding any cells from the intimal layer of the artery and fromany external debris leftover from harvesting the artery.

Example 2 Isolation of Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cells

The optimal digestion time interval (described in Example 1) was thenapplied to isolate internal mammary artery-derived cells. A fivecentimeter portion of the human internal mammary artery was obtainedfrom the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI, Philadelphia,Pa.). The artery was trimmed and washed in Dulbecco's modified Eaglesmedium (DMEM-low glucose; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) or phosphatebuffered saline (PBS; Invitrogen) to remove blood and debris. The entireartery was then transferred to a 50-milliliter conical tube.

The tissue was then digested in an enzyme mixture containing 0.25Units/milliliter collagenase (Serva Electrophoresis, Heidelberg,Germany) and 2.5 Units/milliliter dispase (Roche DiagnosticsCorporation, Indianapolis Ind.). The enzyme mixture was then combinedwith iMAC Growth Medium (Advanced DMEM/F12 (Gibco), L-glutamine (Gibco)penicillin (50 Units/milliliter) and streptomycin (50 ug/mL, Gibco))containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS)). The conical tube containingthe tissue, iMAC Growth Medium and digestion enzymes was incubated at37° C. in an orbital shaker at 225 rpm for 1 hour. The partiallydigested artery was then transferred to a 50 mL conical tube containinga mixture of fresh enzymes and iMAC Growth Medium and further digestedat 37° C. for 1 hour. The digested artery was then removed from the 50mL conical tube and discarded. The resulting digest was then centrifugedat 150×g for 5 minutes, the supernatant was aspirated. The pellet wasresuspended in 20 milliliters of iMAC Growth Medium. The cell suspensionwas then filtered through a 70-micron nylon BD FALCON Cell strainer (BDBiosciences, San Jose, Calif.). The filtrate was then resuspended iniMAC Growth Medium (total volume 50 milliliters) and centrifuged at150×g for 5 minutes. The supernatant was aspirated and the cells wereresuspended in another 15 milliliters of fresh iMAC Growth Medium andplated into a tissue culture flask that was coated with 50 ug/cm²rat-tail type I collagen (Inamed, Freemont, Calif.). The cells were thencultured at 37° C. and 5% CO₂. Cells were cultured for 2-10 passages andthen cryopreseved at 1-2e⁶ cells/mL of cryoprotectant solution(DMEM/F12, 10% FBS) using standard cryopreservation methods.

Example 3 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Morphology

Fresh iMACs, isolated as described in Example 2, were plated at 5000cells/cm² onto type I rat tail collagen coated T75 flasks in iMAC GrowthMedium and cultured at 37° C. in 5% carbon dioxide. Cells were passagedevery 3-5 days. At each passage, cells were harvested with TypleLE(Gibco), counted and viability was measured using a Guava instrument(Guava Technologies, Hayward, Calif.). For morphological evaluation,iMACs were assessed by light microscopy and morphologicalcharacteristics of the cells were observed using a Nikon microscope andLCD digital camera.

iMACs were assessed by light microscopy and morphologicalcharacteristics of the cells were observed using a Nikon Microscope andLCD digital camera (FIG. 1). Consistently, cultures of iMACs showed afibroblastic morphology. Morphology was stable at late passage (Passage23).

Example 4 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Growth Potential

Fresh iMACs, isolated as described in Example 2, were plated at 5000cells/cm² onto type I rat tail collagen coated T75 flasks in iMAC GrowthMedium and cultured at 37° C. in 5% carbon dioxide. Cells were passagedevery 3-5 days. At each passage, cells were harvested with TypleLE(Gibco), counted and viability was measured using a Guava instrument(Guava Technologies, Hayward, Calif.). Population doublings [ln(finalcell yield/initial number of cells plated)/ln2] were then calculated.Cultures of iMACs were analyzed for ability to grow in culture (FIG. 2,Table 1). Cell populations were continually passaged for several monthsuntil senescence was reached. Senescence was determined when cellsfailed to achieve greater than one population doubling during the studytime interval. After 86 days in culture, data shows that iMACs, grown iniMAC Growth Medium, on collagen-coated flasks can be propagated until atleast passage 25 and achieve 41.9 population doublings. The averagedoubling time was 48 hours/doubling and greater than 10E¹⁸ cells can beobtained for one 5 cm long internal mammary artery.

TABLE 1 Growth kinetics. iMACs were cultured on collagen-coated flasksfor 81 days. Cells were harvested and counted every 3-5 days andpopulation doubling and viability was determined. Passage 0 1 2 3 4 5 6Cells plated nd 4.13E+05 2.73E+05 1.00E+06 1.00E+06 1.00E+06 3.75E+05Cells harvested 4.13E+05 2.73E+05 1.06E+06 2.15E+06 3.66E+06 5.89E+061.01E+06 Viability 96% 97% 98% 99% 98% 99% 99% Days 0 4 2 2 5 3 3Doublings nd −0.6 2.0 1.1 1.9 2.6 1.4 Cumulative 0 4 6 8 13 16 19Cumulative doublings 0.0 −0.6 2.0 3.1 5.0 7.6 9.0 Passage 7 8 9 10 11 1213 Cells plated 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+053.75E+05 Cells harvested 1.07E+06 8.87E+05 1.10E+06 7.49E+05 1.21E+061.22E+06 1.30E+06 Viability 100% 98% 98% 97% 99% 99% 97% Days 3 3 3 4 34 3 Doublings 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.0 1.7 1.7 1.8 Cumulative doublings 22 25 2832 35 39 42 Cumulative doublings 10.4 11.7 13.2 14.2 15.9 17.6 19.4Passage 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Cells plated 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+053.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 Cells harvested 1.29E+06 8.78E+051.67E+06 1.52E+06 2.72E+06 1.12E+06 2.11E+06 Viability 98% 98% 100% 100%98% 98% 95% Days 4 3 4 3 5 3 6 Doublings 1.8 1.2 2.2 2.0 2.9 1.6 2.5Cumulative doublings 46 49 53 56 61 64 70 Cumulative doublings 21.2 22.424.6 26.6 29.5 31.0 33.5 Passage 21 22 23 24 25 Cells plated 1.00E+063.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 3.75E+05 Cells harvested 6.76E+06 1.85E+069.80E+05 7.78E+05 6.61E+05 Viability 97% 99% 97% 96% 96% Days 4 3 4 3 3Doublings 2.8 2.3 1.4 1.1 0.8 Cumulative doublings 74 77 80 83 86Cumulative doublings 36.3 38.6 40.0 41.1 41.9

Example 5 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell In Vitro CapillaryFormation

For capillary formation, passage 7, cryopreserved iMACs, isolated asdescribed in Example 2, were thawed and seeded at 5000 cells/cm² ontoMatrigel coated 24 well plates (BD Matrigel Matrix Cellware, BDBiosciences) and cultured in iMAC Growth Medium, endothelial growthmedium-2 (Lonza) or smooth muscle differentiation medium (Lonza) for 3days at 37° C. in 5% carbon dioxide. After 1-5 days in culture,capillary out growth was evaluated by light microscopy.

FIG. 4 shows that iMACs, cultured on Matrigel within iMAC Growth Mediumor endothelial growth medium-2, differentiated into a dense network ofcapillary-like structures. iMACs did not differentiate within smoothmuscle cell differentiation medium. Human thoracic artery derivedendothelial cells (Cell Applications, Inc. San Diego, Calif.) were alsocultured on Matrigel coated plates. These cells failed to differentiateinto capillary structures, indicating that capillary differentiation isunique to iMACs.

Example 6 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Adipogenesis

For adipogenesis differentiation, passage 7, cryopreseved iMACs,isolated as described in Example 2 were thawed and plated at 5000cells/cm² onto non-coated or type I rat tail collagen coated 12 wellplates and cultured in iMAC Growth Medium at 37° C. in 5% carbondioxide. When the cells reached near-confluence, iMAC Growth Medium wasreplaced with adipogenic induction medium (Lonza) and further culturedfor 15-20 days, with media exchange every 2-4 days. To determine theextent of adipogenic differentiation, cells were fixed with 10%formalin, stained with Oil-Red-O (Sigma) and imaged on Day 5, 10 and 15post induction.

Cultures of iMACs demonstrated significant adipocyte differentiation.FIG. 5 shows that iMACs, cultured within adipogenesis induction medium,produced many cells that stain positive with Oil Red-O. Few Oil Red-Opositive cells are present after five days of induction. However, afterten days the number of Oil Red-O positive cells increased. After fifteendays, most of the cells within the culture differentiated intoadipocytes.

Example 7 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Surface MarkerPhenotype

Flow cytometry analysis was performed on fresh iMACs isolated asdescribed in Example 2. Cells were expanded to passage seven in growthmedium on type I collagen coated T75 flasks at 37° C. and 5% carbondioxide. Adherent cells were washed in PBS and detached with TypleLE(Gibco). Cells were harvested, centrifuged and resuspended in 3% (v/v)FBS in PBS at a concentration of 1×10⁷ cells/mL. Each specific antibodywas added to 100 microliters of cell suspension and the mixture wasincubated in the dark for 30-60 minutes at 4° C. After incubation, cellswere washed with PBS and centrifuged to remove excess antibody. Cellswere resuspended in 300 microliters PBS and analyzed by flow cytometry.Flow cytometry analysis was performed with a Guava instrument.Antibodies used are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Antibodies used in characterizing cell surface markers of iMACs.Antibody Manufacture Catalog number CD34 BD Pharmingen 555821 CD44 BDPharmingen 555478 CD45R BD Pharmingen 555489 CD117 BD Pharmingen 340529CD141 BD Pharmingen 559781 CD31 BD Pharmingen 555446 CD133 MiltenyiBiotech 120-001-243 SSEA4 R&D Systems FAB1435P CD105 SantaCruz BiotechSC-21787 CD104 BD Pharmingen 555720 CD166 BD Pharmingen 559263 CD29 BDPharmingen 555442 IgG-FITC BD Pharmingen 555748 IgG-PE BD Pharmingen555749 CD34 BD Pharmingen 555821 CD44 BD Pharmingen 555478 CD45R BDPharmingen 555489 CD117 BD Pharmingen 340529 CD141 BD Pharmingen 559781CD31 BD Pharmingen 555446 CD49c BD Pharmingen 556025 CD73 BD Pharmingen550257 CD90 BD Pharmingen 555596 HLA-I BD Pharmingen 555553 HLA-II BDPharmingen 555558 CD133 Miltenyi Biotech 120-001-243 SSEA4 R&D SystemsFAB1435P CD105 SantaCruz Biotech SC-21787 CD104 BD Pharmingen 555720CD166 BD Pharmingen 559263 CD29 BD Pharmingen 555442 CD24 BD Pharmingen555428 CD56 AbCAM MEM188 CD138 BD Pharmingen 550805 E-cadherin BDPharmingen 612130 IgG-FITC BD Pharmingen 555748 IgG-PE BD Pharmingen555749

Table 3:

iMACs were characterized by flow cytometry (Table 3). Passage sevencultures of iMACs showed positive staining for CD29, CD44, CD73, CD166and HLA-1 and negative staining for CD10, CD15, CD23, CD24, CD31, CD34,CD45, CD62p, CD80, CD86, CD104, CD105, CD117, CD133, CD138, CD141,VE-Cadherin, KDR/Flk-1 and HLA-2. Table 3 compares the observed iMACsurface marker phenotype to the surface marker phenotype of known celltypes.

TABLE 3 Cell surface marker phenotype. Cell-type iMAC Cell type Antibodyexpression expression Enothelial progenitor CD34 Positive Negative cellsCD133 Positive Negative CD45 Positive Negative Endothelial cells VECadherin Positive Negative KDR/Flk1 Positive Negative CD31 PositiveNegative CD104 Positive Negative Smooth muscle cells CD141 PositiveNegative Mesenchymal stem CD10 Positive Negative cells CD29 PositivePositive CD44 Positive Positive CD73 Positive Positive CD105 PositiveNegative CD166 Positive Positive Other CD15 Positive Negative CD23Positive Negative CD24 Positive Negative CD62p Positive Negative CD73Positive Positive CD80 Positive Negative CD86 Positive Negative CD117Positive Negative CD138 Positive Negative HLA 1 Positive Positive HLA 2Positive Negative iMACs were characterized by flow cytometry using theantibodies described in Table 1. Markers were organized according toknown surface markers of specific cell types (Cell type). Surfacemarkers expressed by the specific cell type (Cell-type expression).iMACs that express tested surface marker (Positive). Positive stainingwas determined by comparing test antibody staining profile to negativecontrol antibody staining. Staining of greater than 75% of cells wasconsidered positive. iMACs that do not express tested surface marker(Negative). Staining was considered negative if less than 25% cells werepositive compared to a negative control antibody.

Example 8 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Gene Expression

Cells isolated as described in Example 2, were plated at 5000 cells/cm²onto type I collagen coated T75 flasks in iMAC Growth Medium andcultured at 37° C. in 5% carbon dioxide. Cells were passaged every 3-5days. At passage 10, near-confluent cultures were lysed directly on theflask using an RNA extraction kit (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif.) followingthe manufactures instructions. Total RNA was then extracted and geneexpression was evaluated using Human Angiogenesis Oligo Arrays (SABiosciences, Frederick, Md.) and Affymetrix Human Exon ST1.0 microarraysfollowing the manufactures instructions

An oligomeric hybridization array was used to characterize the genesexpression profile of iMACs. Data shows that iMACs express 19 out of 118tested angiogenesis related genes including; CD13, chemokine ligand 2,Ephrin A2, Ephrin A3, Endoglin, Endothelial PAS domain protein 1,Fibroblast growth factor-2, Fibroblast growth factor receptor-3,Hypoxia-inducible factor-1, Matrix metalenoprotinase-2, Neuropilin-1,Placental growth factor, Urokinase, Thrombospondin-2, TIMP inhibitor-1,TIMP inhibitor-3, TNF-12a, Troponin T type-1, VEGF-B and VEGF-C.

In addition, cultures of iMACs were evaluated by microarray analysisusing Affymetrix Human Exon 1.0 microarrays. Table 4 shows the top 500most expressed transcripts. Several developmentally regulated genes arehighly expressed including, tripartite motif-containing 33 (TRIM33), SRY(sex determining region Y)-box 11 (SOX-11), Notch homolog 2 (Drosophila)(NOTCH-2), cysteine rich transmembrane BMP regulator 1 (CRIM-1),homeobox D9 (HOXD9) and POU class 3 homeobox 3 (POU3F3) (Table 5).

TABLE 4 Angiogenesis Related Gene Expression. UniGene DescriptionHs.311640 Ribosomal protein S27a Hs.525622 V-akt murine thymoma viraloncogene homolog 1 Hs.1239 Alanyl (membrane) aminopeptidase, CD13Hs.303649 Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 Hs.532655 Ephrin-A2 Hs.516656Ephrin-A3 Hs.76753 Endoglin (Osler-Rendu-Weber syndrome 1) Hs.468410Endothelial PAS domain protein 1 Hs.284244 Fibroblast growth factor 2(basic) Hs.1420 Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 Hs.509554Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 Hs.512234 Interleukin 6 (interferon, beta 2)Hs.479756 Kinase insert domain receptor Hs.513617 Matrixmetallopeptidase 2 Hs.131704 Neuropilin 1 Hs.252820 Placental growthfactor Hs.77274 Plasminogen activator, Urokinase Hs.371147Thrombospondin 2 Hs.522632 TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1 Hs.652397TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 3 Hs.355899 Tumor necrosis factorreceptor superfamily, member 12A Hs.631558 Troponin T type 1 (skeletal,slow) Hs.78781 Vascular endothelial growth factor B Hs.435215 Vascularendothelial growth factor C Cultures of iMACs were evaluated byOligomeric hybridization arrays and then evaluated using the softwareprovided by the manufacturer. Global background value was obtained andthen subtracted from the values obtained from the identifiedhybridization signals. Genes shown here are expressed by iMACs at alevel above background values.

TABLE 5 Microarray Gene Expression Analysis. Passage 10 cultures ofiMACs were evaluated using Affymetrix microarray Exon ST1.0 microarrays.500 most highly expressed genes are shown iMACs were measured intriplicate (Sample 1, Sample 2, and Sample 3) are relative geneexpression is represented by fluorescent intensity units. Globalnon-specific background fluorescence was subtracted each specifichybridization signal. The average fluorescence intensity of triplicatemeasurements (Average). Standard deviation (Std Dev). Probe Set SAMPLESAMPLE SAMPLE Gene mRNA- ID 1 2 3 Symbol Accession AVERAGE STD DEV2429144 14.42 14.47 14.51 TRIM33 NM_015906 14.5 0.05 2467968 13.90 13.9014.10 SOX11 NM_003108 14.0 0.11 2431202 13.57 13.63 13.66 NOTCH2NM_024408 13.6 0.05 2477142 13.19 13.25 13.18 CRIM1 NM_016441 13.2 0.042516866 12.80 12.91 12.91 HOXD9 NM_014213 12.9 0.07 2497821 12.41 12.5912.37 POU3F3 NM_006236 12.5 0.12

Example 9 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Trophic FactorAnalysis

Fresh iMACs, isolated as described in Example 2, were cultured topassage 7 and then seeded onto a type I collagen coated six well platesat 5000 cells/cm² in iMAC Growth Medium and cultured at 37° C. and 5%carbon dioxide. Spent culture medium was then changed to a serum-freemedium (DMEM-low glucose (Gibco), penicillin (50 Units/milliliter) andstreptomycin (50 ug/mL)) and further cultured for 20 hours. Conditioned,serum-free medium was collected by centrifugation at 14,000×g for 5minutes and stored at −20° C. Samples were then analyzed using theHumanMAP v1.6 Immunoplex Immunoassay (Rules-Based Medicine, Austin,Tex.). Trophic factor analysis was performed on three independentcultures of iMACs and normalized to values obtained for unconditionedserum-free culture medium.

The secretion of ninety different growth factors and cytokines wereanalyzed on cultures of iMACs (Table 6, Table 7). Results show thatiMACs secrete elevated levels of β2 microglobulin, cancer antigen 19-9,creatine kinase-MB, ENA-78, endothelin-1, eotaxin, fatty acid bindingprotein, ferritin, basic FGF, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, insulin,MCP-1, PAI-1, stem cell factor, TIMP-1, VCAM-1 and VEGF. iMACs do notsecrete Von Willebrand factor.

TABLE 6 Trophic factor secretion profile. Serum free culture mediumderived from cultures of iMACs was evaluated for growth factor andcytokine secretion. Amount of factor shown from three independentcultures (iMAC 1, iMAC 2, iMAC 3) was normalized to cell number andexpressed as amount of factor secreted per million cells per 20 hours.Assay detection limit (Least Detectable Dose). Unconditioned culturemedium (No cell control). Brain- Derived Alpha-2 Alpha- Apolipo-Apolipo- Apolipo- Beta-2 Neuro- Com- Alpha-1 Adipo- Macro- Feto- proteinprotein protein Micro- trophic plement Analytes Antitrypsin nectinglobulin protein Al CIII H globulin Factor 3 Units mg/mL ug/mL mg/mLng/mL mg/mL ug/mL ug/mL ug/mL ng/mL mg/mL Least Detectable 5.3E−080.0010 0.00030 0.086 3.3E−08 1.4E−05 4.4E−05 6.6E−05 0.0059 2.6E−08 DoseiMAC 1 8.4E−07 9.4E−03 5.7E−04 2.2E+00 4.7E−07 4.2E−04 1.2E−03 2.7E−012.3E−02 9.3E−05 iMAC 2 2.5E−06 2.4E−02 1.9E−03 5.1E+00 1.4E−06 9.9E−043.1E−03 6.4E−01 1.0E−01 2.5E−04 iMAC 3 3.3E−07 5.0E−03 4.8E−04 9.4E−012.8E−07 2.6E−04 5.8E−04 1.4E−01 1.4E−02 4.5E−05 No cell control 4.6E−080.00051 4.3E−05 0.18 3.7E−08 1.6E−05 0.00016 0.00043 nd 1.1E−07 CancerCancer Carcino- Creatine C Antigen Antigen CD40 embryonic Kinase-Reactive Analytes 125 19-9 Calcitonin CD40 Ligand Antigen MB Protein EGFENA-78 Units U/mL U/mL pg/mL ng/mL ng/mL ng/mL ng/mL ug/mL pg/mL ng/mLLeast Detectable 0.84 0.049 1.2 0.0042 0.0040 0.17 0.084 7.7E−06 1.50.015 Dose iMAC 1 1.6E+01 6.3E+00 6.8E+00 nd Nd 2.1E−01 1.1E+00 nd1.3E+01 3.0E−01 iMAC 2 6.0E+01 1.7E+01 1.7E+01 nd Nd 5.3E−01 3.5E+005.8E−05 5.2E+01 7.3E−01 iMAC 3 nd 3.7E+00 3.2E+00 nd 5.2E−03 9.7E−024.8E-01 nd 1.0E+01 1.2E−01 No cell control nd nd nd nd Nd nd 0.0079 ndnd 0.0034 Fatty Acid Erythro- Binding Analytes Endothelin-1 EN-RAGEEotaxin poietin Protein Factor VII Ferritin FGF basic Fibrinogen G-CSFUnits pg/mL ng/mL pg/mL pg/mL ng/mL ng/mL ng/mL pg/mL mg/mL pg/mL LeastDetectable 1.4 0.0050 8.2 33 0.60 0.20 0.0070 20 4.9E−08 1.0 Dose iMAC 15.9E+01 nd 3.9E+03 nd 1.3E+01 nd 5.6E+00 1.1E+03 nd nd iMAC 2 1.6E+02 nd1.2E+04 nd 3.0E+01 nd 1.4E+01 3.3E+03 6.1E−07 nd iMAC 3 3.6E+01 nd2.6E+03 nd 5.5E+00 nd 3.0E+00 7.2E+02 nd nd No cell control 2.6 nd 3.7nd Nd nd 0.014 11 nd nd Glutathione Growth S-Trans- Hapto- IFN- AnalytesHormone GM-CSF ferase globin ICAM-1 gamma IgA IgE IGF-1 IgM Units ng/mLpg/mL ng/mL mg/mL ng/mL pg/mL mg/mL ng/mL ng/mL mg/mL Least Detectable0.027 11 0.081 1.3E−06 0.63 0.92 4.2E−08 2.8 0.80 7.6E−08 Dose iMAC 1 nd4.9E+01 7.5E−01 2.9E−06 3.7E+00 nd 2.1E−05 1.2E+00 nd nd iMAC 2 nd1.3E+02 1.2E+00 7.0E−06 8.1E+00 nd 4.9E−05 nd nd nd iMAC 3 6.5E−021.5E+01 2.2E−01 1.4E−06 1.5E+00 nd 8.3E−06 5.6E−01 nd 3.4−E07 No cellcontrol nd 2.6 nd 3.5E−07 0.14 nd 3.0E−06 nd 6.1 nd Analytes IL-10IL-12p40 IL-12p70 IL-13 IL-15 IL-16 IL-18 IL-1alpha IL-1beta IL-1raUnits pg/mL ng/mL pg/mL pg/mL ng/mL pg/mL pg/mL ng/mL pg/mL pg/mL LeastDetectable 3.1 0.24 19 11 0.26 13 11 0.00050 0.29 3.0 Dose iMAC 13.1E+01 6.8E−01 1.6E+02 8.2E+01 1.8E+00 nd 3.0E+01 1.1E−02 8.9E−01 ndiMAC 2 6.4E+01 8.5E−01 4.5E+02 2.0E+02 4.2E+00 nd 5.5E+01 2.8E−023.7E+00 nd iMAC 3 1.4E+01 2.7E−01 6.5E+01 3.8E+01 8.2E−01 nd 1.0E+01 nd4.1E−01 nd No cell control 3.0 0.046 17 8.0 0.15 nd nd 0.00079 nd 7.6Lipo- protein Analytes IL-2 IL-3 IL-4 IL-5 IL-6 IL-7 IL-8 Insulin Leptin(a) Units pg/mL ng/mL pg/mL pg/mL pg/mL pg/mL pg/mL uIU/mL ng/mL ug/mLLeast Detectable 12 0.035 21 6.5 2.4 11 0.70 0.17 0.021 0.019 Dose JMAC1 1.8E+01 6.0E−02 1.3E+02 nd 1.7E+04 1.8E+02 4.0E+O2 2.4E+04 1.6E−018.6E−04 iMAC 2 nd nd 3.0E+02 nd 6.3E+04 4.7E+02 1.4E+03 5.1E+04 2.1E−012.2E−03 iMAC 3 nd nd 3.8E+01 nd 8.1E+03 9.9E+01 1.7E+02 8.0E+03 6.6E−025.0E−04 No cell control nd nd 15 nd Nd 18 0.37 0.32 nd nd

TABLE 7 Secreted factors. Secreted proteins β2 Microglobulin CancerAntigen 19-9 Creatine Kinase-MB ENA-78 Endothelin-1 Eotaxin Fatty AcidBinding Protein Ferritin FGF basic IL-6 IL-8 Insulin MCP-1 PAI-1 StemCell Factor TIMP-1 VCAM-1 VEGF Serum free culture medium derived fromcultures of iMACs was evaluated for growth factor and cytokinesecretion. Secreted proteins shown. These are factors secreted in anamount that exceeds the no cell control unconditioned culture medium andassay detection limit value.

Example 10 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell In VivoAngiogenesis Activity

An important challenge in the field of tissue engineering/organreconstruction is how to adequately vascularization the therapeuticdevice. For any construct to be of value it must be generated in such away that it contains a microvascular component. These capillaries wouldensure that the construct has an adequate supply of nutrients, propergas exchange and waste removal. The identification of a cell thatenhances neovascularization would be of great value.

We have recently isolated a cell from the human internal mammary arterytermed internal mammary artery derived cells. These cells may haveimportant pro-angiogenic properties. In this study, the Matrigelangiogenesis assay was used to evaluate pro-angiogenic activity ofiMACs. The Matrigel angiogenesis assay has become the method of choicefor many studies involving in vivo testing for angiogenesis. In thisassay, angiogenesis-inducing compounds, such as bFGF, are introducedinto cold liquid Matrigel. Then, after subcutaneous injection, theMatrigel solution solidifies and permits subsequent penetration by hostcells that induce vascularization. Assessment of angiogenic reactions inthe Matrigel plug is achieved by examination of histologicalpreparations, stained to enhance the visibility of blood vessels and topermit the determination of vascular density in selected sections.

TABLE 8 Experimental design. Group Number of Number of Number Animalsimplants Test Material 1 3 6 Matrigel only 2 3 6 Matrigel + iMACs 3 3 6Matrigel + bFGF

On the day of transplantation, passage 7 iMACs (prepared as described inExample 2) were thawed at 37° C., cultured until subconfluent, harvestedand resuspended in phosphate buffered saline (without Ca2+, Mg2+). About400 mL of ice-cold growth factor-reduced Matrigel matrix (Gibcocat#12760-021) will be premixed with 100 ul of PBS containing 1×10⁶iMACs. In addition, Matrigel containing 50-ng/mL basic fibroblast growthfactor (bFGF) was tested as a positive control, and was prepared in asimilar manner as the cell-loaded Matrigel test articles. Cells or bFGF,diluted in Matrigel, was kept on wet ice until the time oftransplantation. All handling of the SCID mice must take place under ahood. The mice were individually weighed and induced by a chamberinduction technique using inhalation anesthesia (Isoflurane at 5.0%),during surgery the animal was maintained with Isoflurane at a levelbetween 1.5 and 2.5%. After induction of anesthesia, the entire back ofthe animal from the dorsal cervical area to the dorsal lumbosacral areawas clipped free of hair using electric animal clippers. The area wasthen scrubbed with chlorhexidine diacetate, rinsed with alcohol, dried,and painted with an aqueous iodophor solution of 1% available iodine.Ophthalmic ointment was applied to the eyes to prevent drying of thetissue during the anesthetic period. The anesthetized and surgicallyprepared animal was placed in the desired recumbent position. 500 ul ofcell suspension in Matrigel was injected subcutaneously into the rightand left dorsal surface of the mouse using 23G needle.

Capillary density within the Matrigel scaffold was assessedhistologically at day 10 post-implantation. Gross examination wasperformed on any animals that died during the course of the study orwere euthanized in moribund condition. Mice were euthanized at theirdesignated intervals by CO2 inhalation. Gross observations of theimplanted sites was recorded. The subcutaneous implantation sites withtheir overlying skin was excised. The subcutaneous implantation siteswith their overlying skin was bisected. Half of the tissue was preservedin 10% buffered formalin fixative for paraffin embedding. Fixedspecimens were sent to Paragon Bioservices (Baltimore Md.) forhistological processing. Histological sections were generated andstained with H&E. In addition, sections were stained with human specificanti-vimentin (Dako) and anti-Von Willebrand factor antibodies.Capillary density/cellular in-growth was quantified, in a blindedfashion, by a Paragon technician. Briefly, five images were obtained foreach Matrigel implant. Then the percentage of area occupied by newlyformed cells/capillaries vs. total area of a predefined frame inMatrigel was determined (Table 9).

The degree of cellularity was determined for all Matrigel explants. Asshown in FIG. 5 and Table 9, very few cells or capillaries (4% of thetotal Matrigel area) were observed within group 1 Matrigel only implant.However, compared to group 1, iMAC seeded Matrigel stimulated cellularinfiltration and capillary formation. Cells and capillaries occupied11%+/−2% of the iMAC seeded Matrigel implants. Cells and capillariesoccupied 7%+/−1.9% of the bFGF positive control Matrigel implants.

The data indicates that iMACs promote cellular infiltration andstimulate angiogenesis and the formation of a microvasculature within aMatrigel scaffold. These cells may therefore have value in tissueengineering/organ reconstruction applications by providing a means toenhance neovascularization and the overall viability of an implantablebiological device.

TABLE 9 Cell infiltration/capillary density: Five microscopic fieldswere imaged per explant was obtained and the area occupied by cells andcapillaries was estimated and reported as fraction of the total area.(Area composed of cells/capillaries/total-evaluated area). The evaluatorwas blinded to group assignment. Refer to Table 1 for treatment groupdescriptions. Matrigel explant was not detected (NA). Data shown issummarized in graphical form in FIG. 5. Overall Field 1 Field 2 Field 3Field 4 Field 5 Average AVG SEM Group 1 Animal1 Left 0.06 0.06 0.03 NANA 0.05 Animal1 Right NA NA NA NA NA NA Animal2 Left 0.1 0.02 0.05 0.030.08 0.06 Animal2 Right 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.06 0.02 Animal3 Left 0.040.09 0.05 0.04 0.02 0.05 Animal3 Right 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.04 0.0106 Group2 Animal4 Left 0.15 0.16 0.16 0.18 0.13 0.16 Animal4 Right 0.12 0.110.11 NA NA 0.11 Animal5 Left 0.06 0.09 0.07 0.08 0.13 0.09 Animal5 Right0.1 0.06 0.06 0.05 0.09 0.07 Animal6 Left 0.18 0.21 0.18 0.24 0.19 0.20Animal6 Right 0.06 0.04 0.04 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.11 0.0226 Group 3 Animal10Left 0.04 0.17 0.02 0.07 0.02 0.06 Animal10 Right 0.04 0.08 0.08 0.1 0.10.08 Animal11 Left 0.07 0.1 0.2 0.18 NA 0.14 Animal11 Right 0.03 0.040.07 0.07 0.05 0.05 Animal12 Left NA NA NA NA NA NA Animal12 Right 0.020.02 0.02 NA NA 0.02 0.07 0.0194

Example 11 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell Endothelial andSmooth Muscle Cell Differentiation

iMACs have been shown to differentiate into capillary-like cells whencultured on Matrigel (see Example 5). Further studies were conducted tocharacterize iMAC endothelial cell, smooth muscle cell and cardiomyocytedifferentiation. Cyropreserved, passage 17 iMACs were thawed and seededonto tissue culture plastic and cultured in endothelial differentiationmedium (DMEM+10% FBS+50 ng/ml VEGF) for seven days. Cells were thenevaluated by flow cytometry for the expression of several differentendothelial cell specific markers including; CD144, CD309, CD34, CD31and Von Willebrand factor. Results showed that approximately 20% of thecultured iMACs upregulated the expression of CD144, CD309, CD31 and CD34when cultured in endothelial cell differentiation medium (FIG. 7).

Passage 17 iMACs were also thawed, seeded onto tissue culture plastic,cultured in smooth muscle differentiation medium (MesenPRO RS,Invitrogenfor seven days and then evaluated by flow cytometry for threedifferent smooth muscle cell specific markers including; SMA, SM22,Calponin. Results showed that iMACs expressed all three of these smoothmuscle cell markers under standard iMAC growth conditions. Theexpression pattern is unaltered when cultured in smooth muscle celldifferentiation medium (FIG. 8)

Passage 17 iMACs were also cultured in cardiomyocyte differentiationmedium (DMEM/F12+10% FBS+10 uM 5-Azacytidine) for seven days and thenevaluated by flow cytometry for the expression of is L1 and sarcomericalpha actin (SA). Data showed that greater than 80% of iMACs up-regulateis L1. In contrast, 100% of iMACs express SA before and after treatmentwith cardiomyocyte differentiation medium (FIG. 9).

These data demonstrate that iMACs can differentiate into endothelialcells as well as cardiomyocytes. Therefore these cells may have utilityin cardiovascular tissue engineering applications.

Example 12 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell OsteogenicDifferentiation

For osteogenic differentiation, fresh passage 7 iMACs, isolated asdescribed in Example 2, were plated at 5000 cells/cm² onto uncoated 12well plates and cultured in iMAC Growth Medium at 37° C. in 5% carbondioxide. When the cells reached near-confluence, iMAC Growth Medium wasreplaced with osteogenic induction medium (10-8 M dexamethasone, Sigma;0.2 mM ascorbic acid, Sigma; and 10 mM betaglycerolphosphase, Sigma) andfurther cultured for 21 days, with media exchange every 2-4 days. Todetermine the extent of osteogenic differentiation, cells were fixedwith 70% ice-cold ethanol for 1 hour. Cultures were rinsed with waterand stained for 10 minutes with 1 mL of 40 mM Alizarin red (pH 4.1;Sigma) with rotation. Cultures were rinsed with PBS to reducenon-specific staining Stained cultured were then imaged on Day 5, 10 and21 post induction. Human mesenchymal stem cells hMSC) (Lonza) wereutilized as a positive control.

After 21 days of exposure to osteogenic induction medium, iMACs showedno mineral deposition and therefore no capacity for osteogenicdifferentiation. However, hMSCs showed robust mineral deposition.

Example 13 Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cell for VascularTissue Engineering

In an attempt to harness the unique anti-atherogenic and mechanicalattributes of the internal mammary artery, we will isolate fresh iMACsand evaluate their utility in blood vessel and other cardiovasculartissue engineering applications.

iMACs will be seeded onto hollow tubular scaffolds composed of eithernatural or synthetic polymers, and cultured using a rotating wall vessel(RWV) bioreactor (Synthecon, Inc.) or a perfusion bioreactor (TissueGrowth Technologies, Inc.). One end of the tubular scaffold will beclosed using a micro aneurysm clip (Roboz Surgical Instrument Co., Inc.)and the lumen will be filled with cell suspension (2500 cells/cm²). Theother end will be closed with another clip and the graft containing thecell suspension will be placed in the RWV bioreactor for 24 hours toallow for initial seeding of cells onto the inner surface of thescaffold. Alternately, IMA cells will be seeded onto the outer surfaceof the graft by adding cells to the culture medium bathing the tubularscaffold. After the initial 24-hour seeding period, the clips will beremoved and the graft cultured within the bioreactor for an additional4-7 days. In other experiments, the seeded tubular scaffold will becultured under physiological, pulsatile flow and pressure using aperfusion bioreactor (Tissue Growth Technologies, Inc.). After theculture period, cell seeded constructs will be evaluated for cellattachment, viability, proliferattion and phenotype using the methodsdescribed above as well as histological methods.

In addition, the anti-arthrosclerosis properties of iMACs will bedemonstrated. iMACs and human aortic smooth muscle cells (control cellline) will be cultured in 12-well plates. At confluence, the cells willbe switched to calcification medium (growth medium containing 2 mMinorganic phosphate) for up to 14 days. The medium will be replaced withfresh medium every 2 days. Alternately, iMACs will be cocultured withsmooth muscle cells in calcification medium. Cells will then bedecalcified with 0.6 N HCl for 24 h. The calcium content of HClsupernatants will be determined colorimetrically by theo-cresolphthalein complexone method (Calcium Kit; Sigma). Afterdecalcification, the cells will be washed three times withphosphate-buffered saline and solubilized with 0.1 N NaOH, 0.1% sodiumdodecyl sulfate (SDS). The protein content will be measured with a BCAprotein assay kit (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.). The calcium content of thecell layer will be normalized to protein content. Tissue engineeredvascular grafts, utilizing iMACs, may be more resistant toatherosclerosis. IMACs may also provide for improved graft elasticity.Although the internal mammary artery has been utilized successfully forbypass grafting, it is susceptible to damage during surgical dissection.This undoubtedly will result in graft failure. Tissue engineeredvascular grafts, composed of iMACs, may prove to be a superioralternative to traditional vascular grafting materials.

Example 14

50/50 poly(p-dioxanone-co-glycolide) PDO/PLGA electrostatically spuntubular scaffolds were pre-wet with ethanol, coated for 1 hour at roomtemperature in 0.02N acetic acid with rat tail type I collagen (BDBiosciences, Bedford Mass.) following the manufacturer's instructions,and rinsed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). iMAC cells isolated asdescribed in Example 2 were then statically seeded onto the outside ofcollagen-coated tubes at a concentration of 4×10⁶ cells/ml by pipetting25 ul of cell suspension slowly onto each side of the tube, andincubating for 30 minutes at room temperature. The seeded tubes werethen sutured onto bioreactor chamber barbs (Tissue Growth Technologies,Minnetonka, Minn.) and the chambers are filled with iMAC growth media.The inner lumen was seeded by adding iMAC cell suspension at 1×10⁶cells/ml using syringes. The seeded tubes within the bioreactor chambersare then cultured in a rotational manner at 0.5 rpm on a cell culturebottle-roller placed inside a 37° C. cell culture incubator. After 5 and10 days of culture, the tubes were removed from the bioreactor chambers,fixed with 10% formalin and stained for histological analysis usinghematoxylin and eosin (H&E).

Histology results revealed that the iMAC cells attached and proliferatedwell on the electrostatically spun tubular scaffolds with someintegration into the scaffold spaces. FIG. 10 shows histologicalcross-sections of the cell-seeded tubes indicating attachment and growthof the cells into multiple layers on both the inside and the outside ofthe tube surfaces. Cells can also be observed migrating into the innerlayers of the electrostatically spun tubular scaffolds.

Example 15

Electrostatically spun PCL scaffolds were prepared in the followingmanner. Solutions of 150 mg/mL of PCL (Lakeshore Biomaterials) in1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFP, TCI America Inc.) solvent wereprepared and left in a dark environment overnight on a shaker plate toensure that all PCL had dissolved and formed a homogenous solution. Thepolymer solution (3 ml) was then drawn into a plastic Beckton Dickinsonsyringe (3 ml) and placed in a KD Scientific syringe pump (Model 100) tobe dispensed at a rate of 5.5 ml/hr. A high voltage power supply(Spellman CZE1000R; Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation) wasused to apply a voltage of +22 kV to a blunt tip 18 gauge needle fixedto the solution containing syringe. Solutions were electrospun onto a 2mm diameter cylindrical grounded mandrel placed 8 inches from the needletip and rotating at a rate of ˜400 rpm to produce a scaffold of randomlyoriented fibers. Mandrel translation distance was 18 cm, with atranslational speed of 18 cm/s. Prior to electrospinning, the mandrelwas wrapped with a small section of aluminum foil to aid in tuberemoval. Upon completion of electrospinning, the mandrel was immersed in100% ethanol, and the foil liner was slid off the mandrel, and carefullyremoved from the inside of the tube.

Sterilized PCL electrostatically spun tubular scaffolds were pre-wetwith 100% ethanol, washed with 0.02N acetic acid and coated with type 1rat tail collagen (BD Biosciences, Bedford, Mass.) for one hourfollowing manufacturer's instructions. The grafts were then washed twicewith iMAC growth medium and sutured onto barbs of a bioreactor chamber(Tissue Growth Technologies, Minnetinka, Minn.). The outer chamber wasfilled with iMAC media and cell suspension at 1.2×10⁶ cells/ml was usedto seed the inner surface of the grafts. Syringes were used to fill theinner chamber with cell suspension, which was then capped and placedonto a cell culture bottle-roller placed inside a 37° C. cell cultureincubator overnight. The next day the media in the inner chamber wasexchanged with fresh media and to remove any unattached cells. The mediain the inner chamber was again changed the next day. On the third dayafter seeding, the tubes were cut off the bioreactor chamber barbs,washed twice with 10 ml of serum-free Advanced DMEM/F12 medium andtransferred to 5 ml cryovials for shipment. One sample was analyzed withLive/Dead stain (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) following manufacturer'sprotocol. The sample was cut in half and one half was analyzed after a 3hour room temperature mock ship, and the other half was analyzed afterthe same mock ship and an additional overnight incubation at 37° C. in acell culture incubator in a 5 ml cryovial.

The remaining samples were implanted into the aortic artery of Lewisrats. Briefly, a segment of the infra-renal aortic artery was surgicallyremoved and replaced with the cell-seeded tubular scaffold. The ratswere then monitored for 4 weeks. The patency of the grafts was thenassessed by CT angiography, and the graft inner diameter wasperiodically measured by ultrasound imaging. Four weeks afterimplantation, the animals were euthanized, the grafts excised andexamined by histological staining.

FIG. 11 shows the Live/Dead assay results, indicating that iMACsattached and proliferated well on the PCL electrospun tube grafts, andremained viable after 3 days of culture, a 3 hour room temperaturemock-ship, and an additional overnight incubation at 37° C. in a cellculture incubator. Very few dead cells were evident, the Live cells didnot show any morphology changed indicative of stressed or dying cells.

Ultrasound measurement of the diameter of the iMAC-seeded scaffolds thatwere implanted into the aortic artery of Lewis rats show that the graftsremained patent up to 4 weeks after implantation, with minimal change ininner diameter. Results from CT angiography also indicated that thegrafts remained patent. Histological staining with hematocylin and eosinafter excision of the grafts at the 4 week timepoint showed no evidenceof thrombosis formation and showed evidence of cellular integration intothe scaffold. These results suggest that iMAC cells may be useful forrepair and regeneration of damage to vascular tissues.

Example 16

Human Internal Mammary Artery-Derived Cells Reproducibly Isolated from aSecond Donor

iMACs were isolated from a freshly obtained mammary artery derived froman new human donor using the method described in Example 2. Flowcytometry analysis was performed on this new lot of IMACs. Cells wereexpanded to passage eight in iMAC Growth Medium on type I rat tailcollagen coated T75 flasks at 37° C. and 5% carbon dioxide. Adherentcells were washed in PBS and detached with TypleLE. Cells wereharvested, centrifuged and resuspended in 3% (v/v) FBS in PBS at aconcentration of 5×10⁵ cells/mL. The specific antibody was added to 100microliters of cell suspension and the mixture was incubated in the darkfor 30-60 minutes at 4° C. After incubation, cells were washed twicewith PBS and centrifuged to remove excess antibody. Cells wereresuspended in 300 microliters PBS and analyzed by flow cytometry. Flowcytometry analysis was performed with a Guava instrument. Antibodiesused are shown in Table 10.

TABLE 10 Antibodies used to characterize the iMAC cell surface markerphenotype. Antibody Manufacture Catalog number CD10 BD Pharmingen 555375CD15 BD Pharmingen 555401 CD23 BD Pharmingen 555711 CD24 BD Pharmingen555428 CD29 BD Pharmingen 555442 CD31 BD Pharmingen 555446 CD34 BDPharmingen 555821 CD44 BD Pharmingen 555478 CD45RA BD Pharmingen 555489CD49C BD Pharmingen 556025 CD62P BD Pharmingen 555523 CD73 BD Pharmingen550257 CD80 BD Pharmingen 557226 CD86 BD Pharmingen 555657 CD104 BDPharmingen 555720 CD133 Miltenyi Biotech 130090853 CD138 BD Pharmingen550805 CD141 BD Pharmingen 559781 CD142 BD Pharmingen 550312 CD146 BDPharmingen 561013 CD166 BD Pharmingen 559263 HLA-I BD Pharmingen 555553HLA-II BD Pharmingen 555558 IgG-FITC BD Pharmingen 555748 IgG-PE BDPharmingen 555749

Passage 8 cultures of iMACs showed positive staining for CD29, CD44,CD73, CD166 and HLA-1. iMACs showed negative staining for CD10, CD15,CD23, CD24, CD31, CD34, CD45RA, CD62p, CD80, CD86, CD104, CD133, CD138,CD141, CD146 and HLAII.

Results (Table 11) demonstrate that iMACs can be isolated from humaninternal mammary arteries obtained from different donors and stillmaintain a consistent and reproducible phenotype. iMACs described inExample 2 were derived from a 51 year old female, whereas iMACsdescribed in this Example were isolated from a 56 year old male. It isevident that although iMACs express some markers in common withmesenchymal stem cells, CD10 is not expressed by iMACs. In addition, thesmooth muscle cell marker CD141 is not expressed by iMACs. iMACs do notexpress markers that are typically expressed by endothelial cells, norhematopoietic cells. These data are consistent with our previousfindings described in Example 7.

Further evaluation is necessary to characterize the growth propertiesand differentiation potential of this donor. However based on theseresults, it is expected that these cellular characteristics will remainconstant with past findings. Data described here suggests that iMACs canbe reproducibly isolated from different human internal mammary arteries.This enhances the potential for using iMACs in widespread clinicalapplications.

TABLE 11 Cell surface marker phenotype. Cell-type iMAC Cell typeAntibody expression expression Endothelial progenitor CD34 PositiveNegative cells CD133 Positive Negative CD45 RA Positive NegativeEndothelial cells CD31 Positive Negative CD104 Positive Negative Smoothmuscle cells CD141 Positive Negative Mesenchymal stem CD10 PositiveNegative cells CD29 Positive Positive CD44 Positive Positive CD73Positive Positive CD166 Positive Positive Other CD15 Positive NegativeCD23 Positive Negative CD24 Positive Negative CD62p Positive NegativeCD80 Positive Negative CD86 Positive Negative CD138 Positive NegativeCD146 Positive Negative HLA 1 Positive Positive HLA 2 Positive NegativeiMACs were characterized by flow cytometry using the antibodiesdescribed in Table 10. Markers were organized according to known surfacemarkers of specific cell types (Cell type). Surface markers expressed bythe specific cell type (Cell-type expression). iMACs that express testedsurface marker (Positive). Positive staining was determined by comparingtest antibody staining profile to negative control antibody staining.Staining of greater than 75% of cells was considered positive. iMACsthat do not express tested surface marker (Negative) Staining wasconsidered negative if less than 25% cells were positive compared to anegative control antibody.

1. An isolated mammalian internal mammary artery-derived cell, the cellcapable of self-renewal and expansion in culture, wherein the cell ispositive for the expression of cell-surface marker HLA-1 and negativefor expression of each one of cell-surface markers CD10, CD31, CD34,CD45, CD133, CD141 and KDR/Flk-1.
 2. The cell of claim 1, wherein thecell is additionally positive for expression of CD29, CD44, CD73, CD166,and additionally negative for CD15, CD23, CD24, CD62p, CD80, CD86,CD104, CD105, CD117, CD138, CD146, VE-Cadherin, and HLA-2.
 3. The cellof claim 1, wherein the cell is capable of differentiation intoadipocytes, cardiomyocytes, and endothelial cells.
 4. A method ofisolating a mammalian internal mammary artery-derived comprising thesteps of: a. Providing a mammalian internal mammary artery, b. providingan enzyme mixture wherein the enzyme mixture is comprised of digestionenzymes selected from the group consisting of a metalloprotease enzyme,a neutral protease enzyme, a mucolytic enzyme, and combinations thereof,c. incubating the mammalian internal mammary artery in the enzymemixture for a time sufficient to remove the intimal layer and to removeexternal debris from the artery and provide a partially digested artery,d. transferring the partially digested artery into a fresh enzymemixture and continue digestion for a time sufficient to provide adigested material, e. isolating the cells from the digested material, f.culturing the cells on collagen coated tissue culture vessels.
 5. Themethod of claim 6 wherein the enzyme mixture is comprised of collagenaseand dispase.
 6. The method of claim 6 wherein the time to remove theintimal layer and to remove external debris from the artery is about 60minutes.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the time sufficient to providedigested material is in the range of about 30 minutes to about 60minutes.
 8. The method of claim 9 wherein the time sufficient tosaturate the enzyme mixture with digested material is about 60 minutes.9. A cell isolated from a mammalian internal mammary artery by a methodcomprising the steps of: a. Providing a mammalian internal mammaryartery, b. providing an enzyme mixture wherein the enzyme mixture iscomprised of digestion enzymes selected from the group consisting of ametalloprotease enzyme, a neutral protease enzyme, a mucolytic enzyme,and combinations thereof, c. incubating the mammalian internal mammaryartery in the enzyme mixture for a time sufficient to remove the intimallayer and to remove external debris from the artery and provide apartially digested artery, d. transferring the partially digested arteryinto a fresh enzyme mixture and continue digestion for a time sufficientto provide a digested material, e. isolating the cells from the digestedmaterial, f. culturing the cells on collagen coated tissue culturevessels.
 10. The method of claim 11 wherein the enzyme mixture iscomprised of collagenase and dispase.
 11. The method of claim 11 whereinthe time to remove the intimal layer and to remove external debris fromthe artery is about 60 minutes.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein thetime sufficient to provide digested material is in the range of about 30minutes to about 60 minutes.
 13. The method of claim 14 wherein the timesufficient to saturate the enzyme mixture with digested material isabout 60 minutes.